Centre for Policy on Ageing



Seasonal changes in psychological well-being in an elderly population
Author(s)	John M Eagles, Isabella Mcleod, A Stuart Douglas
Journal title	The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 171, no 1, July 1997
Pages	pp 53-55
Keywords	Well being ; Winter care ; Depression ; Anxiety ; Evaluation.
Annotation	Little is known about seasonal fluctuations in psychological well-being among older people. Over a 21-month period, 1466 older people completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Leeds Scales for Depression and Anxiety (LGDS and LGAS). Scores during the winter months (December to February) were compared with those during other months of the year. Scores on all scales were significantly higher during the winter months. Unlike younger populations, older women did not exhibit greater seasonality in well-being than did older men. Older people exhibit a small seasonal fluctuation in psychological well-being, which is probably of little clinical importance, and there is no gender difference. The findings support the contention that seasonal mood changes are most pronounced among females of reproductive age. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-980521004 A
Classmark	D:F:5HH: IB: ENR: ENP: 4C
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.